Trainer Girl
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: [AU] About Ashley (fem!Ash)'s pokemon journey, dealing with her gender, her sexuality, and the cutthroat world she's coming into her womanhood in.


**A/N:** A gender-bend, with Ash turning into his female counterpart, Ashley. :D Except this Ashley doesn't have blond hair and an orange dress since that was a disguise and all… I'm also taking the opportunity to play with a few gender-roles that the manga picked up on but were abandoned by the anime. Slight other changes as well, not necessarily to accommodate the gender-bend part of the AU but to modify the world a little. After all, you don't want to be reading retellings of the episodes, do you? Well, apparently mundane little details are my specialty so I hope you won't be disappointed. :D

Also written for the Mega-Prompts Challenge on the PFC, writing prompts 026 – write an over 100,000 word multichapter. Because this is a retelling all the way from indigo, I'm sure it'll reach that length…eventually.

Enjoy, and don't forget to drop me a line and let me know what you think. :)

* * *

**Trainer Girl  
Chapter 1 – Meet and Greet**

The dodrio's caws dragged Ashley from her dreams but she muffled them with her blanket and huddled there, eyes shut, until the alarm clock blared in her ears.

'Stupid alarm,' she muttered, reaching for it with her eyes still squeezed shut. She felt her pillow (not under her head where it'd been last night), the precious hat that had been on her lampshade, and a watch that had run out of battery years ago before finding her poke-ball shaped clock and hitting the snooze button. 'Why'd I put it so early anyway?'

If the sun wasn't blinding her through the crack in her curtains, then it was too early to wake up in her opinion. Even if her mother was bustling about downstairs, getting breakfast ready and doing some gardening, it was too early.

Except her plans didn't agree, nor did her mother. 'You're going to be late for Professor's Oak's Meet and Greet,' Delia yelled through the door.

Ashley groaned, then sat up hurriedly, almost knocking her lamp over. 'The meet and greet!' she cried. 'I totally forgot about that!'

'Well, hurry up,' her mother laughed, opening the door as Ashley tumbled out of bed and scrambled for some pants. She certainly didn't want to turn up at the professor's research lab in her nightie. 'I've made you some omelette; you better eat it fast and get going.'

Eating fast wasn't a problem for Ashley; it was getting ready that was. She thought she'd set out her clothes the night before: a nice comfortable t-shirt, some jeans and a light coat that had a clasp up the top but hung loose at her waist. Unfortunately they'd scattered about in the night, so by the time she'd tracked them all done, dug her hat out from the bed covers, let her mother get her hair reasonably neat and polish off her breakfast with a new record speed, the meet and greet had already started at the professor's laboratory.

She ran all the way anyway, hoping the professor wouldn't be too mad at her for being late – or worse, that she'd miss the chance of getting her first pokemon as a consequence. The road leading up to the lab was empty; it'd be crowded later in the day, when four – hopefully four, Ashley thought silently – trainers would return with their chosen partners.

But that involved her getting up there and meeting the potential pokemon, and when she made it up there the laboratory was quiet as well. She knocked with one fist, the other hand on her knees supporting her as she caught her breath. No-one came, and she grew worried and impatient and twisted the handle.

It opened, and she quickly dashed in, checking the main room, the seating room and the little kitchenette. No-one was there. But while she was dashing past one of the aide's offices, he informed her the professor and other three children were in the backyard.

'Of course,' she groaned to herself. 'Where better to get to know pokemon?'

She went outside, scanning the large expanse of field before spotting the group of four in a nearby pasture. 'Professor!' she yelled, wincing when an annoyed spearow squawked at her. 'Oh, whoops. Sorry spearow.'

The spearow jerked her head at her, as if to say "get on with it." And Ashley did; she ran over to the professor and the other kids, two openly staring and the other looking a little put out.

'And here I thought you'd changed your mind,' he said.

'Yeah, right,' Ashley said hotly. 'I just slept in – unlike staying up all night, _Gary_.'

And it looked like Gary had; he had dark bags under his eyes and an offended look on his face. But before he could reply, Professor Oak put a hand on his shoulder.

'Now, now,' he said to his grandson. 'Be polite.' Turning to Ashley, he added: 'This isn't a good start to your life as a trainer.'

He wasn't harsh, but his look was severe and his tone disappointed. Ashley felt properly scolded. 'Yes, sir.'

The professor nodded. 'Well, we've already released the three starter pokemon.' He pointed to the one Gary had been talking with. 'That one is a squirtle, the water turtle pokemon.'

Ashley tried to get a good look at it, but Gary was blocking her view.

'Next is Charmander.' It was currently standing by a tree, ignoring the brunet trying to get its attention.

'And, finally, Bulbasaur.' By the pond, sniffing at the only girl's hand.

Three pokemon and three trainers. 'But,' she began, 'Professor –'

He seemed to pre-empt her question. So did Gary, and he was faster to answer. 'You snooze, you lose,' he laughed.

Ashley glared at him, before turning to the Professor. 'I have to have a pokemon!' she cried. 'I can't wait until next year.'

She could, in theory, and perhaps should have waited until the following year. While she'd passed the license exam, it had been a near thing and she'd had to go through additional procedures to approval for her application because of it. The extra year of study would make her better prepared – but waiting a whole other year was something she didn't think she could handle. She didn't have the patience for waiting and studying from books, the discipline. Even worse was that the other kids her age wold be departing before her, getting ahead of her.

'I do have another pokemon,' Professor Oak affirmed, handing her a poke-ball. Ashley took it, feeling its heaviness, the way it seemed to spark in her hands. 'It isn't the best choice for a starter trainer, but you had taken a while to be approved by the Viridian Council.'

Ashley looked at the ball in her hands, then tightened her grip on it. It would probably be hers; the other pokemon were already paired up and even the charmander was coming around. The bulbasaur was already smitten, and squirtle – she wasn't about to crawl under Gary's arm for it. That's just what the guy would want from her.

But who cared? As long as she got a pokemon, and a great one she could be friends with and make strong. 'Go, poke-ball!' she screamed, tossing the ball into the air.

It landed a few feet away from her, releasing a small rodent in the patch of grass. The boy next to the charmander snickered openly; Gary did as well, though he covered his better, owing to the fact his grandfather was standing next to him.

The girl with the bulbasaur rolled her eyes at the both of them. 'Squirtle's cuter,' she sniffed. 'Besides, electricity is bad for the hair.'

Not that Ashley cared about her looks, and she didn't think Rosie did either; it was more for the benefit of the boys, Gary who was just rolling his eyes and Cole who was scoffing at the idea.

Professor Oak was looking at her as well. 'You can look at the other pokemon as well,' he suggested. 'Pick the pokemon that bonds beset with you.'

The rodent, yellow with brown stripes and looking cute – Ashley had to, thought grudgingly, admit. It yawned with a little "chaa" that made Gary and Cole snicker even more and Ashley to frown. She hoped the pokemon wasn't as bad a morning person as herself.

'This is a pikachu,' Professor Oak explained. 'An electric type. The red pouches on its cheeks store electricity.'

She might not have passed pokemon biology, but she'd done pretty decent on the identification segment of the exam. And an electric pokemon wasn't half bad; there were a lot of flying types near Pallet, and a pikachu was a definite advantage for them. Not to mention the fact that it had electricity in its cheeks: cool if she ever saw anything.

She squatted next to the drowsily blinking pokemon. 'Hi,' she said brightly. 'I'm Ash – ' She couldn't get her name out before the pikachu, annoyed at the intrusion, unleashed a thundershock.

Gary was a little too startled to start laughing straight away. Cole did, being a safe distance with the charmander now regarding him coolly. Rosie sprouted a slightly worried expression, as did the professor.

Ashley was just incensed. 'Look here,' she snapped, rolling on to her feet and matching the pikachu's glare with one of her own. 'You and I are going to get along and that's final.'

'Chu,' the pikachu sniffed, turning away.

'It's been giving us a little problem with its attitude,' the professor said apologetically. 'And it's fairly recently caught, so we haven't made a lot of progress with it. Unfortunately, every other pokemon we have on hand either belongs to other trainers or is over or under levelled.'

And the other three were all paired up, no matter the meet and greet was supposed to be all of them getting to know all the pokemon and then making their decision. She still hadn't seen a full view of squirtle.

Pikachu said nothing, simply rolling on the grass and falling asleep. Ashley took a deep breath, staring at Gary who looked torn between teasing and concern, and Cole who was just scoffing at the scene. She didn't bother with Rosie; Rosie never insulted or teased her or fought with her like the boys did. She generally stayed away from the three of them – unlike Ashley who was stubborn and tomboyish enough to follow them.

And stubborn enough to take on a difficult Pikachu. A pikachu who rolled over and went back to sleep even though the alarm, of a sort, had already gone. A pikachu who didn't preen at the word cute and had a good strong attack from the get-go.

'Professor,' she said, quiet but sure and firm. 'I'm taking this pikachu.'

A sharp intake from one of the boys; apparently they'd just been getting acquainted and no-body had officially selected yet. _Well, too bad_, she thought. _This pikachu and I are going to be a team if it kills us._ 'Isn't that right?' she said allowed.

The pikachu rolled onto its back. Apparently, it was just as stubborn as her.

The professor looked worried. 'It's dangerous to go out without a pokemon who won't regard you,' he said. 'The pokemon raised here at the lab especially for beginners are an exception, but most pokemon don't take too kindly to inexperienced trainers.'

In other words, the pikachu didn't think much of her. No matter; she was stubborn, strong-willed. She'd make it work. Because she wanted that pikachu. Wanted it to prove Gary and Cole (and even, to an extent, Rosie) wrong. Wanted it because of how like her it had looked. Wanted it so that thundershock could send more than just a zap of electricity through her veins.

'Hey, if you come back to Pallet in a body bag, I'll be sure to explain this to your Mum.' Garry shrugged, picking up the squirtle's poke-ball and returning it. 'My choice, Gramps.'

The Professor signed and noted both of their choices down. The others returned their choices as well; the meet and greet hadn't been quite what it was supposed to, but they'd all found a partner they connected with to some level.

'Last thing,' the professor said, leading them into the main room. 'Your poke-dex.'

Ashley looked at hers: red and fitting snuggly into her palm. She noticed Gary's was blue and a little smaller in his hand; her palm was smaller than his, and she was a little shorter as well, two things Gary never stopped teasing her about. But he didn't take the opportunity; he was too in awe of the new gadget, testing out its functions.

'Now.' And the professor sounded so serious they all looked at him. 'Understand this is not a game. From the moment you step outside Pallet town, you have only your pokemon and yourself. The wild pokemon here aren't particularly strong, something we are fortunate about. However, you will see strong trainers on the road, and stronger pokemon as you travel away from Pallet. For now, stay away from the water and the forest, and challenge only the wild Pokemon. Many a beginner's pokemon have been known to die in a battle with a more experienced one, and I don't want to here another story about a child's body being dragged out of that forest.'

Rosie gulped, looking frightened. Cole just scoffed. Gary mounted a serious expression and Ashley took care to note that as well. The forest would be a test of sorts; it always was, the thing that separated the amateurs from Pallet town to the ones ready to take on the Gym Circuit.

'Those rarely happen,' Cole yawned. 'And those kids are fools anyway. They wouldn't let pre-teens out otherwise.'

The professor glared. 'Rare, but they do happen,' he said, 'because young trainers who pass the exams with flying colours get too cocky. Be sure your pokemon will obey your commands without hesitation before you engage another trainer or enter that forest. And don't forget that pokemon are not at the same strength as humans.'

'Got it, Gramps,' Gary said, the only person to reply. He had a thoughtful look on his face. Ashley wondered if he was a little frightened. Truthfully, she was more on Cole's side; no-one powerful ever came near Pallet town or they'd meet them, playing about in the ranch. How could someone pass through Pallet and not meet the infamous Professor Oak after all. As for the forest – she'd heard the stories, but she'd also heard that it was just the tip of the iceberg of the bigger world. She was sure she could make pikachu strong enough for that ordeal. She was sure she'd become a strong pokemon trainer and defeat the circuit, then the league. Her mother agreed; agreed she'd become a strong trainer – though there were a few concerns she'd raised, for Ashley to wave off.

And the Council must have thought the same, to give her approval despite having the grounds to delay it.

'All right.' The Professor sighed. 'On your way then. Good luck to each of you.'

It might have been on some of their tongues, but none of the four said they didn't need the luck.


End file.
